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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Tuesday Tips and Tweaks

Controlling Your Plot

I don’t know about you, but when you’re writing your
story you need to keep track of your plot. Each genre can pose different
challenges. I write romantic suspense so I have to keep track of bodies, red
herrings and potential threats. I have Scrivener and I know it’s supposed to be
great for that, but I honestly have taken the time to be comfortable with it,
yet.

I have a basic ‘cheat sheet’ which I got from another author.
I keep it beside my computer and make
notes on it as I write. The first page has four horizontal columns; Page (Pg); Chapter
(CH); Day (1, 2,); Scene – widest column so I have room for comments – such as
Sam strides through hotel lobby. Shots fired through window. You keep adding
the pages depending on the size of your book.

I also have a second page which has two horizontal columns;
day – Monday, Tuesday, etc. and then External (EXT) or Internal (INT).

It's so important to get details right. As a reader I remember reading a NY author. The heroine picked up her tuna sandwich, carried on a conversation and put down her ham sandwich. It pulled me right out of the story. I had to go back and double check it.

Hi Beverley! I don't think I've visited you before. I'll have to remedy that in the future. ;-)

When I had a 32 bit computer system I loved a program called Quick Plot. I haven't been able to find it for a 64 bit system so I use pen and paper. I do not write suspense but I do write series so keeping things straight from one book to another can be a challenge if I do not keep a diary of sorts. Creative Blessings! Angela

Hi Angela, Glad you dropped by. Hopefully we'll see you again. Writing a series, which I've also done is even more challenging to keep all the details down from like book one to book three or four. A diary of sorts would work as long as you can find what you want or need.

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About Me

I'm a Canadian author who writes murder, mystery, medical thrillers, romantic suspense, often set in Montana on a ranch. I recently dived into self-publishing and I love the challenge. It's exciting. Hunted was my first novel, then Missing and Targeted, the third in the series, set in Montana. Another series about an assistant PI, A Cruise to Remember and A Murder to Forget . By Design, on cloning. And I'm working on Death Southern Style set in New Orleans. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of September. Check them out and let me know what you think.